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Opportunities for maternal transport for delivery of very low birth weight infants

Journal of Perinatology volume 37, pages 32–35 (2017)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective:

To assess frequency of very low birth weight (VLBW) births at non-level III hospitals.

Study Design:

Retrospective cohort study using linked California birth certificate and discharge data of 2008 to 2010 for deliveries of singleton or first-born infant of multiple gestations with birth weight 400 to 1500 g. Delivery rates by neonatal level of care were obtained. Risk of delivery at non-level III centers was estimated in univariable and multivariable models.

Results:

Of the 1 508 143 births, 13 919 (9.2%) were VLBW; birth rate at non-level III centers was 14.9% (8.4% in level I and 6.5% in level II). Median rate of VLBW births was 0.3% (range 0 to 4.7%) annually at level I and 0.5% (range 0 to 1.6%) at level II hospitals. Antepartum stay for >24 h occurred in 14.0% and 26.9% of VLBW births in level I and level II hospitals, respectively.

Conclusion:

Further improvement is possible in reducing VLBW infant delivery at suboptimal sites, given the window of opportunity for many patients.

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Acknowledgements

We are thankful for the support from the Med Scholars Program of Stanford University School of Medicine (Diana Robles). The project described was supported by Grant K23HD068400 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The content of this article is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development or the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    D Robles

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Y J Blumenfeld & M Druzin

  3. March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Y J Blumenfeld, H C Lee, J B Gould, J Profit & M Druzin

  4. Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    H C Lee, J B Gould & J Profit

  5. California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative, Stanford, CA, USA

    H C Lee, J B Gould & J Profit

  6. California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative, Stanford, CA, USA

    E Main & K Melsop

  7. Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation, San Francisco, CA, USA

    E Main

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  1. D Robles
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  2. Y J Blumenfeld
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  6. J Profit
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Correspondence to H C Lee.

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Robles, D., Blumenfeld, Y., Lee, H. et al. Opportunities for maternal transport for delivery of very low birth weight infants. J Perinatol 37, 32–35 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2016.174

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